Rin Matsuoka
|minwidth = 5 |maxwidth = 15 |borderradius = 4 |height = 2 |tab1 = Overview |tab2 = Quotes |tab3 = Image Gallery}} Rin Matsuoka (松岡 凛 Matsuoka Rin) is one of the main characters of the anime series Free! and the light novel High☆Speed!. He swims for Samezuka Academy and is a rival of Haruka Nanase. Appearance Rin is a tall young man with semi-long, brownish red hair. He has red eyes and shark-like teeth. His usual school uniform consists of white trousers, a white buttoned up jacket with a black t-shirt underneath it and black shoes. He is seen wearing a lot of different clothes throughout the show. While swimming, he wears black long leg swim pants that have red patterns on them. Personality When he was young, Rin showed a lot of passion and competitiveness for swimming, as well as an interest in teamwork. After years passed, his ideals about swimming drastically changed. He does not care that much about the trophy they won during their elementary days. With his rude personality, he now only hopes to challenge Haruka Nanase and show him how much more skilled he is. As the Iwatobi High School Swim Club continues to practice and have fun together, Rin often times catches glimpses of them during their practices and is notably morose when he sees how happy they are together while he stands there alone. The teenager aspires to make his father's dream of becoming an Olympic swimmer come true and has detached himself from everyone while working toward that particular goal. At times, Rin displays a softer side, as he is shown to still harbor concern for his friends' well-being and he acts like a mentor toward his younger sister Gou and teammate Nitori. Rin is conflicted emotionally, but his pride as a swimmer is used to mask his insecurities. History Rin's father died when Rin was very young; his father was a swimmer who had dreamed of going to the Olympics but had to give-up his goal and become a fisherman. Due to a tragic incident, his father drowned three kilometers off the coast along with the rest of his crew. Rin stated that he has very few memories of his father and cannot even recall what his father looked like, as his father would be gone for days while out fishing. Rin decided to try and become an Olympic swimmer because he believes that by following this path, he will be able to see his father's face. Rin joined the Iwatobi Swim Club prior to leaving for Australia because that was his father's old club, where his father and his teammates had won the relay. Rin wanted to make a team and win the relay to emulate his father as he started down the path of becoming an Olympic swimmer. In elementary school, Rin was in the same swimming team along with Haruka, Makoto and Nagisa. After they won a tournament, Rin then went abroad to Australia to attend a swimming school. Plot Starting Block of Reunions! While Haruka, Makoto and Nagisa were walking down the corridors of the old Iwatobi Swim Club building, they run into a young man. When they find out that it is actually Rin in front of them, completely changed, he immediately challenges Haruka to a race, until they discover that the old pool is empty. Haruka, Makoto and Nagisa learn from Rin's sister, Gou Matsuoka, that Rin had returned from Australia and that he's now attending Samezuka Academy. Afterwards, Makoto and Nagisa convince a reluctant Haruka to visit Samezuka by tempting him to a swim duel in the school's pool. Upon arriving, they wait until the school's swimming team is done with practice and break into the academy's swimming pool. They are then discovered by Rin who aggressively orders them out. Haruka then steps out of the pool and challenges Rin to a freestyle match. Memories in the Distance! Sasabe reveals that Haruka and Rin had a race when the latter made a rare return to Japan, of which Haruka easily won. Rin was exceptionally disappointed that his hard work was for nothing, creating a rift between them, subsequently causing Haruka to quit competitive swimming because he had hurt Rin's pride. Upon learning this, Makoto calls Rin to inform them of their plans while Rin decides to join the Samezuka swim team for his own grudge against Haruka. Captive Butterfly! At the store where Iwatobi Swim Club was bying new swimwear, Haruka and Rin run into each other and have a short discussion about their differing forms with Rin wanting a race with them both in peak condition, or else he may not be able to move forward from his loss and both decide to settle the score at the upcoming tournament. Trial in Open Water! Upon Iwatobi Swim Club arriving on the island, they coincidentally discover the Samezuka Swim Club, along with Rin, is training at a special swimming facility on the island. As Iwatobi Swim Club prepare for dinner, Gou heads to a nearby convenience store and briefly runs into Rin who shows some concern for Makoto after Gou explains their training, before returning to his usual stoic self. He then offers Gou to walk her to the hotel she's staying in. Shocking No Breathing! Unaware of the trouble the Iwatobi boys are in, Rin wakes up in the middle of the night to the sound of a storm raging just outside his window. Early the next morning, he runs along the beach but pauses when he spots the two tents the Iwatobi team set up for the night. Shortly after seeing them swimming back to shore, however, Rin runs off to continue his practice. One Style Final! It's the day before prefecturals and Rin wakes up from a harrowing nightmare involving his father. The dream begins with Rin visiting Haru's house. When no one comes by to open the door, he invites himself in and finds a goldfish bowl with a single goldfish swimming about inside. The sound of footsteps distracts him and, startled, he turns to find Haruka standing in the doorway. After the boy tells him he only swims freestyle, Haru walks away but Rin promptly chases after him only to end up at the edge of a large swimming pool. He's about to engage in a race, it seems, but before he can reach his starting platform he spots his father as a child, holding a large trophy he won in a medley relay with his team. His father runs and once again Rin pursues, chasing him from the pool to the narrow streets of Iwatobi. Ultimately he loses sight of him after passing through a bright tunnel and ends up in a procession of old priests in white clothing. Rin runs against the men but pauses to look back, catching sight of a younger version of himself holding his little sister's hand. The child Rin mutters something incoherently just before Rin startles himself awake, shaken, gasping, and sweating with fright. At practice that day, Nitori confronts Rin and asks him why he decided to join the 100 meter freestyle crawl rather than the butterfly, which is Rin's best stroke. Rin dismisses the conversation, though Nitori suspects Haru may be involved in Rin's decision. That evening Nitori brings up the conversation with Rin again as he helps him train in their room. Nitori confesses he's upset with Rin for choosing a freestyle crawl when he clearly has the potential for something much greater. He admits he himself wanted to be in the 100 meter crawl instead to which Rin seems to express a bit of regret. However, Rin boosts Nitori's confidence when he tells him he has enough endurance to last in the 400 meter crawl he was assigned to anyway. After telling Nitori he will be visiting his father's grave, he goes on to explain the story of his father's past as well as his reasons for wanting to become an Olympic swimmer. Rin says that if he cannot finally beat Haruka in a true race, then he will not be able to move on and accomplish that goal. On the day of prefecturals, Rin revisits his father's grave, telling him once again to watch out for him as he wins his big race. Haruka and Rin meet for a brief moment in a hall of the facility where prefecturals will be held. Rin tries to rile Haruka up by telling him he may not even make it to the finals to race him and ultimately Haruka does lose without even placing in the finals. As Rin exits the water, confident and cocky after his first place win, he tells Haruka he will no longer swim with him ever again, a statement which hurts Haruka and leaves him silent and alone in the pool. Relationships Gou Matsuoka Gou is often worried about her brother. One of her main reasons in becoming Iwatobi's swim manager is that the guys will help bring her brother back to normal. Rin in response appears a bit protective of her as well especially in response to Seijuro's use of Gou's first name. In the drama CD, Rin was curious about Gou who go out every Sunday, and thought that she goes on a date with Seijuro. He even called Makoto and asked him what are they doing on Sunday. After Rin and Nitori stalked Gou, they were suprised that Gou was actually helped by Hanamura to buy him a Christmas present, and that she wrote on the card "Thank you for everything, Onii-chan". Hanamura said that she's jelaous of Gou to have such a good-looking brother, but Gou aswered that he can be a pain sometimes and that he's never honest with his feelings. Iwatobi High School Swimming Club's Diary 1: Track 4 Haruka Nanase In elementary school, Rin was in the same swimming team along with Haruka, Makoto and Nagisa. After they won a tournament, Rin then went abroad to Australia to study swimming. Haruka and Rin had a race when the latter made a rare return to Japan, of which Haruka easily won. Rin was exceptionally disappointed that his hard work was for nothing, creating a rift between them, subsequently causing Haruka to quit competitive swimming because he had hurt Rin's pride. Rin's best stroke is the butterfly, but his obsession with beating Haruka, who only swims the crawl stroke, leads him to focusing on that stroke and whatever distance Haruka is swimming in competition only. Aiichiro Nitori Initially, Aiichiro and Rin were not on the same team. However, once Rin joined the Samezuka Academy swim team, the two became teammates. The two also appear to be roommates and thus are mostly together.Episode 4 Rin, apparently, also finds Aiichiro to be a bit overwhelming and overbearing especially so if he had been a girl and had to date him or Seijuro. Seijuro Mikoshiba Initially, Seijuro and Rin were not on the same team. However, once Rin joined the Samezuka Academy swim team, the two became teammates. Rin does not see Seijuro to be very responsible, and finds that he is a bit too whimsical. Trivia *Like all swimmers associated with the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club, Rin has a female name. *Rin is the type of person who cannot sleep without his pillow.Episode 5 Preview *Haruka stated that Rin accidentally called his coach mom during elementary school.Episode 7 Preview *Gou has admitted that Rin shaves his body hair to reduce water resistance. Iwatobi High School Swimming Club's Diary 1: Track 1 *Rin likes eating meat and kamchi.Free! TV Animation Guidebook *Rin's best subjects are English and Math, while he's bad at Literature and Old Japanese. *Rin likes sports that he's good at. *Rin's best stroke is the butterfly, but his obsession with beating Haruka, who only swims the crawl stroke, leads him to focusing on that stroke and whatever distance Haruka is swimming in competition only. 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